According to our data, this Hill's Prescription Diet recipe provides complete & balanced nutrition for the maintenance of adult cats. In other words, this formula is AAFCO approved.

Unlike other AAFCO approved cat foods which rely in laboratory testing to substantiate nutritional adequacy, this recipe has undergone feeding trials. In the pet food industry, feeding trials are often considered to be the superior testing method.

Ingredient Review

We'll begin this review of Hill's Prescription Diet Metabolic Weight Management With Ocean Fish with a detailed discussion of the ingredients.

The first ingredient is brewers rice. Brewer's rice is the small fragments of rice kernel that are separated from the larger kernels of milled rice. The fragments do not contain the same nutrition profile of the whole kernel and therefore brewer's rice is a lower quality grain. Brewer's rice is typically regarded as an inexpensive and low quality filler.

The second ingredient is corn gluten meal. Corn gluten meal is a by-product from the production of various corn products (corn starch, corn syrup, etc). It's very high in protein (nearly 60% protein) and therefore can significant boost the protein content of the product. Because plant based proteins such as corn gluten meal are inferior to meat based proteins (lack many essential amino acids), they are not suitable substitutes.

The third ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is produced by cooking chicken using a process called rendering. The rendering process dramatically reduces the natural moisture of chicken and thereby results in a highly condensed protein source.

The fourth ingredient is powdered cellulose. Powdered cellulose is produced from minuscule pieces of wood pulp and plant fibers. Other than its fiber content, powdered cellulose lacks any nutritional contribution.

The fifth ingredient is wheat gluten. Wheat gluten is the main protein of wheat. Although wheat gluten is mostly protein, wheat gluten is considered controversial because it significantly boosts the protein content of the product. This is undesirable because plant based protein does not provide the same amino acid profile as meat based protein.

Because ingredients are listed in order of pre-cooked weight, the remaining ingredients in Hill's Prescription Diet Metabolic Weight Management With Ocean Fish are not as important as the first five ingredients.

However, collectively they still have a significant impact on the overall quality of the product. Therefore, we'll continue discussing the remaining ingredients in this Hill's Prescription Diet recipe.

Next we have ocean fish. Ocean fish can refer to multiple species of fish, since the particular type of fish is not specified, it's difficult to discuss this ingredient. The nutritional contribution of ocean fish depends on the species included; however, fish generally provides high quality protein and fat.

The next ingredient is dried tomato pomace. Dried tomato pomace is a by-product of tomato manufacturing. It's considered a controversial ingredient because many people believe it is an inexpensive low quality filler. However, tomato pomace provides a notable amount of dietary fiber, B vitamins, Lycopene, and vitamin A. Although it is a very inexpensive ingredient, it is not nutritionally empty.

Then we have flaxseed. Flaxseeds are an outstanding source of omega-3 fatty acids and dietary fiber. They also provide a notable amount of protein, B vitamins, and various minerals.

Moving on, we have natural pork flavor. As the name implies, natural pork flavor provides pork flavor to the product. This particular flavor is derived from natural sources which may or may not include real pork.

Moving on with this review, we have coconut oil. Coconut oil is an excellent source of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) which are easier to digest and believed to promote skin and coat health.

The remaining ingredients in this Hill's Prescription Diet Metabolic Weight Management recipe are unlikely to affect the overall rating of the product.

Our analysis of the ingredients show that this product derives a considerable amount of protein from non-meat ingredients. Since this product is a prescription diet, this property may be required and therefore we cannot make any further statements.

Final Thoughts

In summary, we recognize that this product contains anonymous meat ingredients. These are not necessarily always negative; however, they are typically low quality and inexpensive additions. If the particular anonymous meat ingredient is controversial or low quality, it should have been discussed earlier in this review. Otherwise, it is safe to assume the anonymous meat ingredient is an acceptable addition.